In The Wee Small Hours Of The Morning

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "TheWinter Of 2001/2002":
It must be a very low pressure system that is influencing the function of both Council and staff last month and this.
Your description of the decision-making process makes one wonder whether all these peoples' marbles are properly aligned, or whether they are, in fact, all there.
This does not seem like good government. It is more akin to outright stupidity.
Are we really expected to believe that a former Director is being constantly questioned for his opinion and advice by a present Director. Surely something is amiss - like intelligence.
Why do we go through the expense and aggravation of having elections every so often when staff members end up making decisions that go contrary to Council's expressed wishes?

How is it that the town's CEO apparently does not point out an anomaly or two, rather hoping, waiting, to have a question raised, and when no one does is not surprised that it has not occurred.

By the sound of things it might be prudent to dispense with Council meetings altogether during the two months of summer, when the atmospheric pressure so obviously invades and renders impotent the minds of our elected representatives.

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In the last term a consultant was retained to advise on re-organisation of the administration.

Responsibilities were shifted from one director to another.

The  Chief Financial Officer became responsible for Human Resources.

The Chief Building Official  took responsibility for Bylaw Services,

The Municipal Clerk no longer had responsibilities  that matched his expertise.

Responsibility for maintenance of recreation facilities  was taken from the Director of Leisure Services whose programs in the main were provided in the facilities. He was the man with  experience in that area. He knew the facilities. He understood the programs.

Half of his responsibility  related to facility management.

It was transferred to the Director of Environment and Infrastructure who does not know the facilities. Nothing in his area of expertise equipped him to preside over maintenance  management of facilities.

The directors sit side by side at the council table.  Often a question on facilities is directed to the director newly responsible for facility management. It has to be re-directed to the director who used to be responsible. because he is the one with the answer.

I did not support  the re-organisation. I found no logic  in the recommendations. I believe then and still do that logic  was not the reason for  the changes.

It was Mormac and their merry band of  docile  warriors who shifted the authority to where they could best control it.

Adding  and creating new positions to the administration as we  approached  build-out of the town was never  justified.

In my view,  circumstances called for the opposite; not replacing vacated  positions to adjust to a lesser work-load.

At the  all -day meeting of council at the end of June,  we had  a report presented from yet another consultant retained at a cost of tens of thousands.

Council was told the town  hall was built in the mid- nineties for a smaller population and  administration. Now the building needs to be re-organised  to accommodate new staff  and  population. We must spend $5 million dollars to do it.

No such thing

No administration builds a new facility without providing for future needs.

We are also planning to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars  to  re-organise  the old library to accommodate existing staff, while the town hall is being re-organised to accommodate new staff.

During the  new council orientation in 2003, we were advised  several studies had recommended demolition of the old library. Because it cannot be adapted  for other uses. Because of the horrendous cost of outstanding repairs. And because  space is needed and was needed from the time it was built, to accommodate parking for the new library.

There have been  two new councils since  and no real honest-to-goodness council orientation since 2003.

When you read my blog, you are reading my perspective .  It reflects  long experience in the town's affairs. Our current council is mostly new. They have chosen, to follow through with plans  underway at the time of the election.

They can listen to me or not. It's their decision to make.

I can only participate in the debate and watch with something approaching horror ,as things hurtle from bad to worse. I frequently hope I may be wrong.

What you read in my blog is  my view of things.

Over the years I've  often been in the minority.

I don't believe I have  ever seen anything quite like this.

The main difference  is, I can share  with readers of my blog.I don't have to keep my thoughts to myself.

There are plenty who believe I should not be allowed to do so.

To quote from the last term; 

"She needs to be stopped. She is undermining everything we are doing."

Needless to say I do not share that opinion either.

But Clause 3 of the  Cockamamie Code of Conduct states " Councillors must explain the attitude of council even if  they  do not agree with the majority decision"

I think it might be hard to explain the attitude of  decision-makers if you don't even understand the decision.

It might not be well received either.